5 days ago
Kick-starting the day with a collection of short uplifting news stories.
Nonagenarian Star
Oscar nominee June Squibb is to star in what one critic referred to as “what a Mission: Impossible movie would look like if it centered on a 93-year-old grandmother.” Thelma, written and directed by Josh Margolin, is an action-comedy inspired by the filmmaker’s own beloved grandma and fictionalizes an all-too-real occurrence: phone scams. The movie follows the eponymous Thelma as she tracks down the people who swindled her out of thousands and attempts to get her money back. Time to book your tickets?
Important New Reserve
South Africa's new Northern Drakensberg Nature Reserve will protect 6,500 hectares of vital wetlands, grasslands, and water sources for millions of people and open an important wildlife migration corridor. The new park, which is also home to some of the best prehistoric rock art in the world, was declared in record time thanks to a consensus among local landowners.
Amazing Cancer Drug
An immunotherapy drug could spare bowel cancer patients the need for surgery and chemotherapy after results showed it was effective in 100 percent of cases. Jemperli from British pharmaceutical company GSK showed “unprecedented results”, the firm said, with no evidence of disease in all patients treated. The data showed all 42 patients in a trial led by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the U.S. had a complete response to treatment, with no evidence of tumours on scans.
Colorado River
$700 million is now available for the Colorado River. The funding will support projects across the Lower Colorado River Basin, including water distribution structures, desalination, and farm efficiency improvements. The basin provides water for over 40 million people and is a crucial resource for thirty Tribal Nations, two states in Mexico, and agricultural communities across the American West.
Caribou Habitat
Nearly 200,000 hectares of habitat in Canada's northeast British Columbia has been permanently protected in the newly expanded Klin-se-Za/Twin Sisters Park, making it the largest provincial park created in the province in a decade, and is expected to greatly help the endangered caribou.
Did You Know?
Two out of three new cars sold in Shenzhen (China's third most populous city) now have plugs, and China's fourth largest city has more EV chargers than petrol pumps?
New Dino
A newly discovered species of dinosaur unearthed in Montana and on display in Denmark finally has a name: the Lokiceratops. The dino's crowning glory is the intricate set of horns on its head, which immediately signaled to scientists that it was one they hadn't seen before. “Its headgear looks like something a heavy metal rocker would wear onstage. It is a member of the same group as Triceratops but has its own style, as do the dozens of other horned dinosaurs that have been found recently,” said paleontologist Steve Brusatte. "The horns and frills of these dinosaurs were their badges of identity, their billboards for attracting mates and intimidating rivals. And each new discovery seems stranger and weirder than the last.”
“Love is like wildflowers; it’s often found in the most unlikely places.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
On This Day
27 June 1898: Canadian-American adventurer Joshua Slocum arrives in Newport, Rhode Island, completing the first solo circumnavigation of the globe in The Spray.
Today's Articles
Huge Conservation Success: Let's celebrate the greatest ever recovery of a wild cat species.
Cheap and Cheerful: Like IKEA stuff, this mini EV comes delivered in flatpack boxes.
Ha Ha Ha: Random selection of amusing signs and, in some cases, their consequential hilarious impact.
The Crookie: The delicious new croissant taking Paris by storm.
Mood Boosting Video
Uptown Funk: 100 movies synced to Hollywood dance scenes in 4 minute mashup.